In my last post, I argued that advocating the death penalty is not the best way for solving the deep problems in our society. In this post, I’ll show that Christians should be very careful not to seek justice through retaliation. Furthermore, I suggest that there is something fundamentally wrong with advocating for someone’s death, for any reason. First, this denies grace to a human being who may profit from it. If, in our minds, an individual becomes a blot... Read more

In my last post, I corrected a misunderstanding of the Anabaptist position on capital punishment. While Daryl Charles has argues that the early Anabaptists supported the death penalty, I showed that his claim is misleading. Anabaptists and the early church recognized the role that capital punishment played in secular society, but they would not practice it themselves. However, correcting this mischaracterization could seem to be a purely academic issue. A more pertinent question is why the Anabaptist position should inform... Read more

As an Anabaptist, I note with interest when Anabaptism appears as a topic in religious and political discourse. I was therefore interested to read Daryl Charles’s citation of the Anabaptist Schleitheim Confession in his recent argument for the death penalty. Charles writes, Even the so-called “left wing” of the Protestant reform movement—from which much modern religious opposition to capital punishment is thought to derive—recognized the death penalty. The Schleitheim Confession of 1527, an exemplary document adopted by the Swiss Brethren... Read more

As Christians, we are called to live a life of faithfulness and obedience to God. However, does true faithfulness and obedience mean the same as perfect faithfulness and obedience? I recently interacted with a Christian who was confused when he heard that even Christians who are living in obedience to Christ still make mistakes all the time. This seemed to be a contradiction. This Christian’s intention was to obey Jesus and completely overcome sin. If Christians could continue to make... Read more

Today, there’s a lot of controversy among Christians as to how Christ saves us. One of the most common views among Evangelicals is that Jesus was punished in our place so that God wouldn’t need to punish us. However, many Christians have gone back to early views of the atonement that haven’t been focused on recently. These Christians might believe instead that the main focus of the atonement is Jesus’ victory over Satan, or that Jesus give himself as a... Read more

As a Christian, I believe that miracles have occurred in the past. I also believe that they occur today. For example, I know of people who have experienced miraculous healing from diseases that hadn’t shown signs of remission from other causes. But there’s a big misconception that I believe many Christians and non-Christians have about what miracles mean. Many Christians today believe that miracles happen in direct correlation with faith. They want to have the “apostolic faith,” or the faith... Read more

One thing Anabaptists are known for is our four-part a cappella hymn singing. We sing hymns in church, we sing them at hymnsings, and we sing them around the supper table. In most cases, everyone, not just a special choir, is joining in. It’s incredibly important to us to have everyone joining in, no matter how gifted they might be. That’s why we don’t typically sing accompanied by instruments, since we want the responsibility of making music to rest with... Read more

As an Anabaptist, I don’t take part in politics, because of our view of separation from the world. If you’d like to know more, check out the linked article. For me, this entails not voting. Many people might see not voting as a limitation, but I’ve found that it actually has advantages. I don’t vote for moral evils I recognize that people try hard to vote responsibly. However, no matter which candidate I choose, he is bound to support policies that... Read more

Many people find this surprising, but I enjoy spending time in cemeteries. I find it meaningful and peaceful. First I just love experiencing the greenness of cemeteries, the well-kept grass, the trees and hedges. They’re very enjoyable to wander through—a cemetery can be very much like a park. I think that’s fitting. We should shape the places where we remember of death in such a way that they are beautiful with the realization that a new life will occur, and... Read more

One thing people often notice about Anabaptists is how community-oriented they are. Whether it’s a whole Amish community getting together for a barn-raising, or a huge extended family gathering for Thanksgiving every year, most of us have many connections that we associate with constantly. Community Events Here are just a few of the events that happen in my church community: Fellowship meal—Once or twice a month, our church gathers after church to have a meal together. The children play together... Read more